"I'mma kill you now."
I lunged at him, foot aimed squarely at his smug face. But he was faster than expected.
With a guttural roar, he caught my ankle mid-air, his grip like a steel vice. Pain shot up my leg—he nearly snapped it like a twig. Before I could twist away, he yanked me in, his massive fist already cocked back.
BAM!
His punch collided with my jaw, and the world turned sideways. I flew across the chamber, crashing hard onto the stone floor.
Ugh… for hell's sake—do people just fall in love with my ankle when they fight me or something?
My vision spun, pain radiating through my skull. I pressed a trembling hand to my jaw.
Yup. Definitely dislocated.
I spat out blood, groaning as I pushed myself to my feet. Everything ached. The towering freak was already charging again, arms swinging like gorilla limbs, ready to crush.
I gritted my teeth and flooded my Morphblade with Flow. But something went wrong.
The energy refused to obey. It surged and twisted violently, erupting into unstable, chaotic bursts. Darkness rippled around me like a storm losing control.
The brute faltered mid-charge.
His arrogant smirk vanished as soon as his hand grazed the swirling, corrupted Flow. Instantly, his face contorted in pure agony. His body convulsed. His knees buckled. His eyes widened in disbelief and terror.
Just as expected.
Anyone who touched my raw Flow either burned from within… or drowned in fear.
"Lina!!" Mina's voice rang out behind me, trembling. She clutched her shirt with both fists, panic in her eyes.
I popped my jaw back into place with a sickening CRACK, stars dancing in my vision from the pain.
"I'm fine," I muttered through gritted teeth, canceling the unstable Flow. "It's nothing new."
The brute was still gasping for breath, clutching his chest like the air itself had turned against him.
I recognized this reaction.
Lou had it. Romeo too. But no time to dwell on it.
My grip tightened.
A Flow-forged sword crackled into my hand. No more mercy.
I charged again.
Steel met membrane in a shower of sparks, the chamber echoing with the clash of powers. His orange barrier held strong, but I didn't let up.
"Not bad for a little beauty," he sneered, fingers locking around my sword mid-swing.
Cocky bastard.
With a flick of his wrist, he tried to disarm me, but I was two steps ahead. I canceled the Flow.
His grip clenched on nothing.
"HUH?!" His eyes widened in confusion.
Perfect.
I surged forward, driving my knee into his nose with a satisfying CRACK. His massive frame reeled, staggering back like I'd just knocked the smug out of him.
"Still asking for more, huh?" I muttered, twisting mid-air. I spun with all my weight, my heel slamming into his face. The impact sent him flying, his body crashing into the wall with an earth-shaking thud.
I landed lightly, flexing my ankle. The sting of impact still buzzed through my leg. But no biggie.
Heh… I guess Lou's training was finally paying off. I was moving like I belonged in this body—fast, fluid, dangerous.
The dust began to settle, revealing his dented form, half-glued to the crumbling wall.
"Let's talk about you for a sec," I said, my voice sharp as a blade. "You call them Ghouls, failed experiments, junkies. But look at yourself. Those arms... you're not exactly Mr. Normal either."
He peeled himself from the crater with a grunt, blue hair a tangled mess, and wiped a smear of blood from his lip. Then he actually sighed—like this was all just a bit annoying.
"I'm a successful experiment?" he replied with a lazy smirk. "Call me enhanced. Upgraded. The premium model, if you will."
"And those Ghouls?" His eyes lit up again with that sadistic gleam. "They were trash. Junkies who couldn't handle their doses. Died screaming or worse—lost their minds. Still, an army of half-dead freaks makes one hell of a distraction."
He looked at the ceiling, muttering with mock reverence, "Praise Marloth for that."
Then, with a shrug, "They're too pathetic to die. But hey, every deck needs a joker, right?"
Before I could spit out a response, he leapt just centimeters off the ground.
Then BOOM—a catastrophic explosion shattered the floor beneath us as his foot slammed down. Debris burst like shrapnel, raining down with deadly force.
I launched myself sideways, dodging mid-air, heart hammering as I scanned for Mina.
There.
Still safe. A small breath of relief escaped me.
"Enjoying the fireworks?!" he bellowed, voice echoing through the ruined chamber.
He wasn't done.
With terrifying ease, he hefted a boulder-sized chunk of concrete and hurled it at me. Mid-air, no footing—he was trying to corner me. Smart.
But I wasn't helpless.
Death's Tear. My Flow surged, morphing into a deadly black scythe.
I slashed through the rock in one clean stroke—stone splitting like butter. But then more came. And more. An endless barrage of debris, each chunk a death sentence.
I twisted, spun, sliced, dodged—every movement a blur. But I was losing ground. My stamina drained fast.
And then—
WHAM!
I never saw it coming.
He blitzed through the falling debris like a missile, his fist wreathed in that cursed orange membrane. My scythe met his punch—
CRACK!
—only to get pushed away from the sheer pressure. The blow slammed into my torso, knocking the wind clean out of me. My back kissed the ground like it meant to break me. Pain exploded through my ribs, my limbs screaming in protest.
I couldn't breathe.
Couldn't move.
Damn was he too strong.
He loomed over me, the shadows of his hulking frame swallowing the tiny little light the room had. His fist hovered still over my torso, knuckles twitching with menace.
"Is that all you've got?" he sneered, lips curled into a cruel smirk. "You're a disappointment."
Well, duh? Look at me, for crying out loud!
I was nine years old. A girl. With a child's body. This wasn't even close to a fair fight. If I'd had even a fraction of my real power from before… this monster would've been mulch.
But whatever. No point sulking over fantasy stats.
What he failed to realize—what he couldn't realize—was the crucial element in play.
Mina.
He never once considered her. A mere toddler, sure. But also… a prodigy of magic. A latent storm with tiny feet and wide, tear-filled eyes. While he was fixated on me, she had been building her power like a gathering stormcloud.
And judging by his complete lack of magical awareness, he didn't even notice.
But I did. I felt her mana swelling—wild, pure, on the verge of erupting.
This whole time... I'd just been buying time.
I gritted my teeth through the pain, then shouted with every last ounce of breath:
"Now, Mina!"
In a single motion, I summoned a short sword and lunged. The beast didn't expect it—his arrogance had made him sloppy.
My blade sank deep into his torso.
Blood burst across his bare body in a crimson bloom. My Flow ignited within the wound, setting it ablaze with burning energy. His eyes widened, not from the blade—he could handle wounds—but from the wrongness he felt inside his flesh.
And then—
The chamber pulsed.
A wave of power surged behind me, as a celestial light enveloped Mina. Her small figure glowed like a shard of the moon fallen to earth. The very air vibrated with magic—raw, unfiltered, elemental.
And then her voice rang out—clear, high, commanding.
"By frost and storm, I command! A spear of ice from my hand… pierce him!—ICE LANCE!"
Mana twisted around her hand, coalescing into a spear of translucent crystal. Its edges shimmered like cut diamonds, cold and perfect. A frigid wind swept through the chamber, frosting the ground where she stood.
Then she hurled it.
The lance shot forward, a blazing bolt of blue light—like a comet from the heavens. It screamed through the air and impaled the behemoth square in the shoulder, striking with bone-shattering force.
His entire body lifted from the ground and slammed into the far wall.
THUD.
The impact shook the room. Cracks spiderwebbed behind him as he hung there, nailed to the wall by pure frost.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A guttural roar tore from his throat, animal and broken. He clawed at the spear, his face a twisted mask of agony.
Every movement sent splinters of ice deeper into his flesh.
Veins popped in his forehead. His muscles bulged. With a blood-curdling scream, he ripped the lance free from his own shoulder, the sound wet and raw.
Even just watching it made my stomach churn.
I could practically feel the pain radiating from him.
Good.
Fury twisted his face as he turned his bloodshot gaze on Mina.
No.
I wouldn't let him lay a single finger on her.
He lunged like a mad beast, his massive arms swinging with blind rage. I ducked under one blow, spun past another, then aimed a fierce kick at his exposed midsection.
Thud.
Pain jolted up my leg. I winced.
Tch… That membrane again.
His whole body became wrapped in that damned orange barrier—a pulsing, reactive armor that didn't just block damage, it FREAKING rejected it. My strikes bounced off like flies against steel, and worse, the rebound hurt me more than it hurt him.
What the hell is that shield made of?!
Well… It was out of Flow! But hell, we needed some Drama lines in here!
Then—Mina's voice rang through the chamber like a blade drawn from ice.
"From the deepest cold, I summon might, a spike of ice to pierce the night—Glacial Spike!"
The air cracked with power. Frost swirled around her, and even from here, I could feel the temperature plummet. My breath came out in visible puffs, and the sting of cold crept into my lungs.
Above her head, a colossal spike of crystalline frost took shape, its edges glittering with death.
She unleashed it.
The icy thingy shot through the air like divine judgment, whistling as it hurtled toward the behemoth.
CRASH!
The impact thundered through the room.
The spike shattered against his shield in a burst of glimmering shards—but not in vain. A portion of the membrane crumbled under the pressure, revealing a stretch of raw, exposed flesh beneath.
His exposed left hand turned a sickly shade of blue, frost instantly devouring the skin. His fingers twitched. Then spasmed. Frostbite began its slow, merciless march up his arm.
My eyes widened.
She did it.
She broke through.
I had underestimated her—Mina's potential wasn't just impressive. It was royal. There was no doubt about it. Her magic had pierced what neither Flow nor brute force could touch.
The beast staggered, for once unsure of himself. His focus split—half on the creeping pain devouring his arm, the other flicking back and forth between us like a trapped animal.
A grin tugged at my lips.
Wait a sec…
Something clicked.
I'd been pounding this guy with Flow-forged weapons and martial strikes for way too long, but none of it made a dent. Yet Mina had cracked him open with one spell.
So why?
Why was hers effective and mine weren't?
Flow attacks. Physical strikes. Both bounced off.
But magic…?
My weapons were Flow constructs. Even if they weren't "physical" per se, they were still grounded in my will and Flow signature. He'd tanked them without flinching.
His barrier… it's built to repel Flow-based and physical attacks.
But not magic.
That must be it.
He had no magical sense. No mana detection. He never even reacted to Mina's buildup.
That shield of his wasn't resistant to everything—it was magic-ignorant.
No, it shouldn't be about magic, right? I mean, he had no clue about magic and all after all.
Could it be…
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!"
His voice ripped through the chamber, raw and unhinged. My thoughts scattered as his eyes locked onto Mina. Then he raised one leg—and slammed it down.
A chain of explosions erupted from his foot, snaking across the floor in a deadly line—straight toward her.
"Mina!" I shouted, my heart lurching.
Crap. I totally forgot he had that trick up his sleeve!
Without hesitation, I dashed toward her, scooped her into my arms, and launched into a desperate dodge. The explosions followed close behind, blasting the ground mere inches from where we had just been.
We landed in a heap behind a broken pillar.
"ALLALALALA—if that wasn't close!" I wheezed, holding her tight. My heart still hammered in my chest.
I looked down at her, checking for injuries. "You alright?"
Mina's finger shot upward, her voice trembling, "Watch out!"
I looked up—and my stomach dropped.
A massive boulder was plummeting from above, seconds from crushing us.
I didn't think. Just moved.
The Morphblade shimmered, forming a long sword in my hand. With a single upward slash, I split the rock clean in two.
But—
BOOM!
The moment the halves hit the ground, they detonated.
Of course it was rigged!
The explosion hurled us across the chamber. My back hit the wall with bone-rattling force, and for a moment, everything went fuzzy.
"Ughhh… ow… ow ow ow…"
I groaned, cradling Mina protectively, expecting burns, blood, pain—
But something felt… cool?
The dust settled. Around us shimmered a faint blue hum, like a bubble of crystalline frost.
An ice barrier.
I looked down at Mina. Her eyes were glassy with tears, but she held her hands steady, the last of the magic still glowing faintly.
"You cast a barrier spell? When? I didn't hear any incantations!"
She shook her head, still catching her breath. "I can cast it without incantations… It's the only spell I can do that way."
My brows lifted. An incantation-less defensive spell at her age?
Shlimm's mage education really was no joke.
I stood, brushing off dust and rubble, and gently placed Mina on her feet.
I ruffled her hair. "You're doing great, y'know that?"
I didn't need to look down to see her smile—it was there, small and warm, even in all this chaos.
Then I crouched to her level, lowering my voice.
"Mina, can I ask you for a favor?"
She blinked up at me. "What is it?"
"I need you to slow him down. Not stop him entirely, just… mess with his speed when I give you the signal."
She frowned, thinking for a second. "I don't think I can freeze him or hold him still… but I do have a spell that might help."
Good to know.
I barely took a step forward before another boulder came hurtling toward us, like a meteor set on vengeance.
Tch… Alright then.
I narrowed my eyes, gauging the distance. Yeah... That should do.
I leapt high, channeling a massive surge of Flow into the Morphblade. A whip of pure obsidian energy materialized, thicker and more vicious than any whip I'd conjured before. It cracked through the air with a sharp SNAP, lashing toward the boulder.
The whip coiled around the massive rock mid-flight.
"Ghh—!" My arms trembled under the weight. Damn thing was heavy. But if I could just get under it… control its momentum—
I twisted mid-air, landing briefly against the wall before launching myself downward, dragging the boulder with me. A quake-like THUD echoed beneath my feet as I hit the ground, transferring all my momentum into the swing—
And hurled the boulder straight back at him.
"What the—" he began, but didn't finish.
The rock slammed into him with an earth-shaking BOOM, dust and rubble blasting outward like a storm.
I skidded backward from the shockwave, shielding Mina instinctively with my arm. As the dust finally settled…
"Tsk."
Of course. There he stood—still alive, barely even scuffed. His orange membrane still wrapped protectively around most of his body, save for his frostbitten hand, now purpling and twisting unnaturally.
So even those explosions… they were made of Flow too, huh?
Didn't matter.
"Mina! Now!"
She nodded, her eyes glowing with determination. Her tiny hands raised, and she chanted softly:
"Oh frost that stills the world—bind the breath of land below. Frozen Ground!"
The floor beneath him pulsed a soft blue. A low hum vibrated through the chamber as frost veins slithered across the surface like cracks in glass. Within seconds, the stone turned slick, shimmering with an icy sheen.
He shifted his weight—and slipped.
His massive frame struggled to keep balance, his legs flailing as he stumbled across the ice like an angry toddler on a skating rink.
It would've been hilarious if it weren't so dangerous.
"You…" he growled, furious and wild-eyed. His gaze locked onto Mina again. No. Hell nah.
He raised his leg, the same technique from earlier winding up—preparing to launch a chain of explosions toward her again.
But this time, I was ready.
"Eidos: Zephyr!"
I kicked—again, and again, and again—each strike slicing through the air, not aiming for his body, but at the space around him.
Each kick sent a ripple of black wind tearing through the air like razor-sharp specters, howling with vengeance. Dozens of them honed in on him like predators unleashed.
Finally, I also shredded his membrane.
CRACK—CRACK—CRASH!
Like glass under pressure, the barrier finally gave way. Orange fragments disintegrated as the dark wind tore through his defenses.
The next wave sliced into his flesh.
His shoulder burst open, a deep gash leaking blood in thick streams. Another slice tore across his abdomen, ripping muscle and flesh as he let out a howl of agony. His leg gave out—cut tendons and a cracked shin sent him crashing to the floor.
He writhed on the icy surface, his body painting streaks of crimson on the frozen stone.
His breathing turned ragged. Every twitch of his body sent new jolts of pain through his ruined frame. His once-massive form now quivered on the ground, soaked in blood, frost clinging to his skin, his lips pale and cracked.
"ARRRRRGHHHH—!" He roared in raw, primal pain, thrashing like a dying beast.
"I see it now…" I muttered, breathing hard as I lowered my stance. "Your shield didn't ignore magic... it ignored elements..."
I stared down at him, the Morphblade buzzing faintly in my grip, "Too bad wind counts as an element, dumbass."